Bridezilla Story

[TravelingGal]

Date: 9/11/2006 11:37:11 PM
Author: decodelighted

Date: 9/11/2006 11:03:08 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Deco, can I come to your wedding????

If I''m not mistaken, you already have PLANS that weekend?

Thanks NJC - I hoped the ''cute'' & mild entertainment value would outweigh the subtle guidence toward cards rather than ''stuff''!

I should clarify perhaps that the ''PS'' was just to you guys ... we didn''t take that xxx-tra step to tell everyone that our teensy home is overstuffed ... as much as we wanted to! Most of ''em probably know anyhow. If they''ve EVER been OVER ... or, ha, helped when he moved in!

Well my wedding is Friday AM. Yours is Saturday PM....I can make it.........

 

[diamondfan]

I just think that, again, a gift is not obligatory. It is nice to get, and hopefully it is something you really want. If not, return it. If you cannot return it, gice it away. Your choice, as the recipient, just as it is the giver''s choice to get you X Y or Z. If someone asks, I would always tell them the truth, as long as I feel comfortable. Sending someone to buy off your registry, especially when all price points are represented, is great if you are asked. I am not even oppsed to giving cash, use it to pay off some bills, etc...your choice again as the recipient. I guess, to me, it is not worth the emotional investment if you don''t love the gift, I am happy someone took time and thought of me, and unless it comes up, I am likely to just keep accepting what they give with a smile. I really cannot comprehend how it mattered to NYC''s cousin that it WAS a gift she asked for, but was not from the STORE she went to. Wedgewood is the same from where ever, and though it is nice if it all comes from one store so you can return extra stuff, you either have some extra or you return to the local store on of the sets purchased there. Not the most convenient thing, maybe, but not the end of the world either. Being mad at your grandmother and wanting your mom to go ape on people just is the part that made me think this girl was in the restroom when manners were handed out...

 

[Christa]

Deco, your approach is totally cute! The way it''s presented makes the difference between tacky and practical, I think--there''s a huge difference between "we have too many towels and potholders already, so if you''d like to get us a gift we''d prefer XYZ" and "get me what I ordered or I''m going to hate you". We got lots of crap we didn''t want (in particular a huge yellow and white crocheted doily comes to mind

) , but it''s not that hard to return or donate things.

 

[Mara]

deco and TG...i'm crashing both your receptions AND i am bringing you crocheted pot warmers. just an FYI. and i surely expect a beautiful hand-written thank you card, preferrably with a slice of lemon pie in the envelope. and a picture of just how you are using the crocheted pot warmers.

 

[Kaleigh]

I dunno, I always buy off the registry and go the extra mile to give the couple what they want. It''s so easy these days, and even if you don''t buy online you can call the store and order with a credit card. We got a bunch of stuff that was awful, but my thank you notes made the giver feel special, or at least I tried. I usually ended up giving away the stuff we didn''t want, or re-gifted it. That was 20 years ago. I don''t see the big deal in asking for what you want. But that''s just me. My daughter is 18 and far from the marrying age, so guess I am out of the loop on all of this. Hopefully when she gets married a long time from now you guys can fill me in.

 

[ammayernyc]

Not to hijack but...

Does anyone think it''s bad NOT to have a registry? There is honestly nothing that I need and if I register for stuff it will be that I will have to throw out what I already have.

 

[Maria D]

LOL, yes Mara it''s true I''m smoking crack but I can still read! This:

>>why can''t someone else say ''we need items from our registry more than anything else, so please respect our wishes or give us nothing at all''p]

went to this:

>>my point in the original post... was that i don''t personally see anything wrong with making your thoughts and wants and desires known to those who love you p]

These are two very different sentiments. You seem to be piqued that I said your stance changed, to the point where you felt it necessary to explain all over again. I''m sorry I put you through the trouble and if you did take offense to my saying that your stance changed when it did not, I apologize for suggesting such a thing.

>>my real feeling in general is that it''s THEIR wedding...so THEY can do whatever THEY want with whatever THEY want. it''s no one else''s place to judge in my opinion. if people don''t like it, they don''t have to give a gift.p]

Of course people can do whatever they want. But if it''s something tacky, then just be tacky without pretending that it''s somehow now acceptable because the "rules" are old-fashioned and no longer apply. No, it''s not tacky to register (or not register) and it''s not tacky to let people know about your registry if asked. What''s tacky is to tell people they should buy what you''ve chosen if they want their gift to be appreciated.

I''m not offended by displays of tackiness; they''re not personal insults to me. I don''t see how you say THEY can do what THEY want but then claim it''s no one else''s place to judge? How come the judgers can''t also do what they want, LOL?

If someone were to send me an invitation with their registry info *and* the request that I buy from their selections or not at all, I''d just laugh; think, tacky tacky tacky; and then do/get whatever I felt like.

NJC, I''m thinking in your cousin''s case the problem is really her mother. Your cousin didn''t tell her grandmother to take the gift back, she got her mother to do it. If the mother went along with it that totally explains how your cousin ended up this bratty in the first place!

Deco, I''m sure your family/friends know exactly what you mean by your cute "booty call" on your website. If I were a guest that didn''t know you intimately, I would think of what you wrote as code for ''we want cash''. A 1X10" slit is the perfect size for an envelope containing a card with check! Not knowing you, I''m not sure if that''s exactly what you DID mean or if you really want Pop-Tarts and jewels, etc. Or maybe you really don''t want gifts but didn''t want to say that? As I said, I''m sure your friends know what you mean.

As for not registering -- well, I didn''t register either Amanda. I will tell you that some people thought this was a way to ask for cash as well! On my husband''s side people like to give tangible gifts. On my side, everyone just gives money. I didn''t register because the thought never occurred to me. But if I had thought about it, I would have asked for a different style tablecloth

.

 

[njc]

Date: 9/12/2006 9:17:38 AM
Author: Maria D

NJC, I''m thinking in your cousin''s case the problem is really her mother. Your cousin didn''t tell her grandmother to take the gift back, she got her mother to do it. If the mother went along with it that totally explains how your cousin ended up this bratty in the first place!

I dont know that anyone told the grandmother to take the present back. I just know my cousin yelled at her grandmother for shopping at the wrong store. In my last post, I said in my head I heard my cousin telling the grandmother to take the present back.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 9/12/2006 9:17:38 AM
Author: Maria D

LOL, yes Mara it''s true I''m smoking crack but I can still read! This:

>>why can''t someone else say ''we need items from our registry more than anything else, so please respect our wishes or give us nothing at all''<<

went to this:

>>my point in the original post... was that i don''t personally see anything wrong with making your thoughts and wants and desires known to those who love you <<

These are two very different sentiments. You seem to be piqued that I said your stance changed, to the point where you felt it necessary to explain all over again. I''m sorry I put you through the trouble and if you did take offense to my saying that your stance changed when it did not, I apologize for suggesting such a thing.

Good grief, this is beating a dead horse. Could it be possible that what you quoted and perceive as two "very different" sentiments are the same thing to Mara, i.e. " i don''t personally see anything wrong with making your thoughts and wants and desires known to those who love you THEREFORE why can''t you say ''we need items from our registry more than anything else, so please respect our wishes or give us nothing at all''?" And I should note that you did not quote her entire sentence, as she had "kind of thing" after the word "wishes" which to me means that maybe not blatantly saying that EXACT thing but being a bit more subtle, like Deco''s cute invite."

" If someone were to send me an invitation with their registry info *and* the request that I buy from their selections or not at all, I''d just laugh; think, tacky tacky tacky; and then do/get whatever I felt like."

Wow, this actually renders ME a bit speechless and speaks volumes to me about you. Is it about YOU or the people who are getting married? And no one is saying that anyone would put "get me this or nothing at all" on an invite....they would put the request for a special gift, like a honeymoon fund or a charity donation on it. And if they did add that last bit, that''s their perogative. Yes, you can go ahead and judge, that''s your right. I''m glad that people who are coming to my wedding wouldn''t be judgmental in that way. They''re too busy being happy with me and rejoicing in our wedding to judge what we may or may not do when it comes to gifts.

 

[sumbride]

Hey Mara -

I was thinking about serving lemon pie at the rehearsal dinner. Do you think that goes with fried catfish? Maybe kiwi would be better?

 

[decodelighted]

Okay this is totally random & I don't know exactly why it applies ... but ...

If you wanna *really* know what "judgement" feels like ... gain 75 lbs ... get a job paying about 20K at Conde Nast & ride the elevators at least one a week with Anna Wintour looking you UP & DOWN -- burning HOLES in your knock-off poly blend Mandee-specials & 100% man-made material 34th street shoes. That'll toughen ya right up!

pps -- I swear we didn't put our "Booty" message on the INVITES! We did it on our wedding WEBSITE, which people would only go to if they were SEEKING more info, or, perhaps registry clues. We did it to explain why there wasn't a registry. Also, we kinda figured the more "traditional" souls, who might be offended by the message, probably weren't so web-savvy.

eta -- think they make LEMON pop-tarts?

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 9/12/2006 11:12:57 AM
Author: decodelighted
Okay this is totally random & I don''t know exactly why it applies ... but ...

If you wanna *really* know what ''judgement'' feels like ... gain 75 lbs ... get a job paying about 20K at Conde Nast & ride the elevators at least one a week with Anna Wintour looking you UP & DOWN -- burning HOLES in your knock-off poly blend Mandee-specials & 100% man-made material 34th street shoes. That''ll toughen ya right up!

pps -- I swear we didn''t put our ''Booty'' message on the INVITES! We did it on our wedding WEBSITE, which people would only go to if they were SEEKING more info, or, perhaps registry clues. We did it to explain why there wasn''t a registry. Also, we kinda figured the more ''traditional'' souls, who might be offended by the message, probably weren''t so web-savvy.

eta -- think they make LEMON pop-tarts?

Oops, sorry about the boo boo thinking it was on your invites...

And LOL Deco....you''ve got heaps of character, that''s for sure!

Didja hear? Mara''s giving us potwarmers!!!!!

 

[galeteia]

Maybe it''s because I come from a dirt-poor background and everyone and their dog knew that, but no one has ever been anything but thrilled with the thoughtful, labour-intensive gifts my mother and I assembled for them.

We once spent weeks making hand-made soaps with essential oils and natural ingedients that were tailored to the bride''s skin (dry) and some to the groom''s (he had troubled skin) all lovingly made with dried flowers and greenery pressed into the tops and sealed with a layer of glyercin. (My mother later took the rest of the batch to a snooty store and they snapped them up and ordered more.) The bride and groom were delighted with such a thoughtful gift that was so focused on them.

I would hate to think that I could give ''nothing at all'' because I couldn''t afford something off their registry.

I am deeply offended at the idea that a wedding registry is the equivalent of a christmas list, but then again, I''m offended at the idea of christmas lists.

Maybe it''s just because money has always been in short supply, but sentiment wasn''t.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 9/12/2006 11:31:23 AM
Author: Galateia
Maybe it''s because I come from a dirt-poor background and everyone and their dog knew that, but no one has ever been anything but thrilled with the thoughtful, labour-intensive gifts my mother and I assembled for them.

We once spent weeks making hand-made soaps with essential oils and natural ingedients that were tailored to the bride''s skin (dry) and some to the groom''s (he had troubled skin) all lovingly made with dried flowers and greenery pressed into the tops and sealed with a layer of glyercin. (My mother later took the rest of the batch to a snooty store and they snapped them up and ordered more.) The bride and groom were delighted with such a thoughtful gift that was so focused on them.

I would hate to think that I could give ''nothing at all'' because I couldn''t afford something off their registry.

I am deeply offended at the idea that a wedding registry is the equivalent of a christmas list, but then again, I''m offended at the idea of christmas lists.

Maybe it''s just because money has always been in short supply, but sentiment wasn''t.

Galateia, those gifts sound just lovely, and who couldn''t use a great gift of soaps except maybe people who prefer to be stinky?

It''s hard to bring those two schools of thought together, and I understand the points of both schools....one being that one should buy what makes the couple happy, and the second being that registries are impersonal and that one would like to put some "thought" into the gift and as you and your mother did. But to me there is a far cry in sentiment from what you and your mother did, to someone who would laugh and disregard someone''s requests (no matter how "tacky")when they had the means to honor that request if they wanted - and do whatever they felt like. It''s almost as it if were out of spite. There is no spite when it comes to your lovely soaps!

 

[Mara]

i'm sorry maria, i guess i must not have worded it so you would understand it....but i did not change my stance. just because i didn't REPEAT the exact same thing later on does not mean i didn't believe it anymore.

but again, yes this is beating a dead horse since i agree with TG in that you seem to read what you want, which is cool. your thing.

sum...i think lemon pie would be FAB with fried catfish. i mean is there anything that lemon pie does not go with?!?!?! don't tell me if there is....i don't wanna know!

gala...for me PERSONALLY, i love receiving gifts that are not on my lists, but is something that i would totally love to have, especially from those who are very close to me and actually know me or my husband. my maid of honor gave us an amazing memory box with all of these things she collected from my planning days and the wedding in hawaii. it was really awesome and meant more than anything she could have bought for us off the registry. my problem mentally is when people give you what they think you will like but they obviously have no clue what it is....or what they think would be cool for THEM to get, without any thought to the recipient of the gift. it's all about them. and yes there are those types of people.

BUT if someone said please just purchase off these registries or please make a donation to our honeymoon fund in leiu, i would try really hard to follow their wishes. you don't have to have a lot of money to give someone a card. and i think a card is totally appropriate if you can't do what they want. why does there really NEED to be a gift at all?

my original 'why can't people just tell someone they want this or nothing at all' was more like a hypothetical question. like why isn't that done more. i certainly didn't do it so i am not speaking from experience. but it seems like all these stringent 'rules' and people getting offended or whatever is all just creating DRAMA. i can't say i would judge it as tacky if someone did it in a cool or cute way. i'm sure people DO do it. i wouldn't think less of them for being super honest about their wishes. i actually like when people deviate from the norm and request something different for wedding gifts.

oh ETA...galat...i don't know why you would bother being offended at the thought of some stranger getting asked for a christmas list OR being offended at the thought of a christmas list at all...totally unrelated to you. surely there are better things to be 'deeply offended' about??? i hope!

 

[TravelingGal]

Re: registries...

Some people hate picking out gifts, especially if they have no idea what you would like or need. To me, it''s just a courtesy to those folks to have one. The thought of having someone wander around a store wondering what to get me is not cool. For those people, we registered.

Honestly, we had a tough time registering. We simply don''t need much because I have always just bought what we''ve needed and we already live together and are older (more time to accumulate stuff!) We went to Bed Bath and Beyond and had to nix the registry there because we could only find 4 things we could use...not an impressive registry by any means.

I just got an email this morning from a friend in Oz saying, and I quote, "Wot you dudes want for your wedding - fact is you''re gunna get something so may as well be something you both want/need!!! Is there an online registery?" So there are plenty of people who really do want to shop off registries.

I was so tempted to reply with the registries and ask him to get me something off it, or nothing at all, but I don''t think he would have gotten the joke...

 

[widget]

Hmmm...I'm old fashioned, (heck, I'm OLD!) but I hate the way registries are used now! In the old days, you registered your silver and good china, and that was it!

While I absolutely understand the practicality of gift registries, both for the bride and groom AND the invited guests, there seems to be so little feeling behind picking a gift off a list...especially one so comprehensive that it includes dishrags and spatulas. It almost doesn't feel like a "gift" any more...

My five-year-old granddaughter registered at the local toystore for her birthday!

widget

Author: TravelingGal

I was so tempted to....ask him to get me something off [the registry] or nothing at all, but I don't think he would have gotten the joke...

The thing is, Mara wasn't joking!!!

widget

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 9/12/2006 12:38:33 PM
Author: widget
Hmmm...I''m old fashioned, (heck, I''m OLD!) but I hate the way registries are used now! In the old days, you registered your silver and good china, and that was it!

While I absolutely understand the practicality of gift registries, both for the bride and groom AND the invited guests, there seems to be so little feeling behind picking a gift off a list...especially one so comprehensive that it includes dishrags and spatulas. It almost doesn''t feel like a ''gift'' any more...

LOL Widget...you sure don''t seem old to me....too much spunk!

Well, as we all know times change and things evolve. Not too many people my age use silver or good china...heck, there is no place in my little Los Angeles apartment to store the good china! It''s now considered OK to wear black at evening weddings, etc etc. You know how it goes...

The spatula thing made me laugh...I can totally understand how you feel. I have a some nice saute pans on my registry. I did have a guy say, that he didn''t want to get me something so impersonal as a pan, which is fine. But what he doesn''t know is that I love to cook, and the pan would bring many years of healthy, yummy meals (lovingly made by yours truly, hehe) to our table and be used every day.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Date: 9/11/2006 11:03:08 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 9/11/2006 11:01:17 PM
Author: decodelighted
Well color me tacky and selfish and not ''modern'' and class-less. Because on our super casual wedding website, under a tab marked ''booty'' ... we left this message.


Bring ... it ... on.
And by that, we really mean - please come. That''s the important part.

But we did want to mention that in lieu of the traditional ''gift table'', we''ll be displaying a lovely box. And in that box there will be a slit. A slit approximately one inch by ten inches.

Humble Suggestions of What to Put In The Box
silvery packets of Pop-Tarts
plane tickets to exotic locales
congratulatory cards
loose gemstones
photos & negatives of either the bride or groom in compromising positions

Humble Suggestions of what not to put in the box
copies of said photographs attached to a blackmail attempt
your own plane tickets home
overdue blockbuster DVDs
anything liquid or currently on fire


p.s. -- we are expecting a lot of POP-TARTS, which is fine by us, ''cause we LOVE pop-tarts (and loose gems & exotic locale & not having our tiny cottage further stuffed with items we don''t use.)

Deco, can I come to your wedding????

If I wasn''t on my honeymoon, I''d seriously consider crashing your wedding!

I''d just make one correction- instead of overdue Blockbuster DVD''s, how about overdue Netflix DVD''s? Get with the times, girl!

 

[Mara]

nope not joking!! i'll tell you what widget. send me your beeeeooootiful new asscher ring and i promise to send you a handwritten thank you card. deal? please?

and i'm sure this will open a whole new can of worms, but what is wrong with the 5 year old's mom registering her at the toystore? that just ensures she doesn't end up having 4 of the same 'coolest toy' out this year! also that way the mom can 'funnel' potential presents towards possibly gifts she wants her children to have and away from those that she might not want them to play with kind of thing. like for example, i was never allowed to play with playdoh so if it wasn't on the registry, hopefully no one would buy it.

but maybe of course there would be that ONE PERSON who would anyway.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 9/12/2006 12:50:43 PM
Author: ChargerGrrl

If I wasn''t on my honeymoon, I''d seriously consider crashing your wedding!

I''d just make one correction- instead of overdue Blockbuster DVD''s, how about overdue Netflix DVD''s? Get with the times, girl!

No kidding chargergirl...get with the program Deco-gal!

And your wedding is right around the corner too Chargergrrl...forgot, did you have a thread on all your plans? Excited or jittery yet?

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 9/12/2006 12:52:22 PM
Author: Mara
nope not joking!!

and i''m sure this will open a whole new can of worms, but what is wrong with the 5 year old''s mom registering her at the toystore? that just ensures she doesn''t end up having 4 of the same ''coolest toy'' out this year! also that way the mom can ''funnel'' potential presents towards possibly gifts she wants her children to have and away from those that she might not want them to play with kind of thing. like for example, i was never allowed to play with playdoh so if it wasn''t on the registry, hopefully no one would buy it.

but maybe of course there would be that ONE PERSON who would anyway.

Put the can of worms down...back away from the worms Mara....back away......

 

[decodelighted]

Ya know ... i''m just guilty all the way around

. As a GUEST I''m a total registry-shunner! I started my own tradition of giving quilts as wedding gifts & when they were well-received, even ADORED, a few times ... I stuck with it.

Being a BRIDE, makes me reconsider my M.O. a bit ... if EVERYONE gave us a quilt, we''d have calico squares poking out our windows & be sleeping in our garage!

 

[Mara]

Date: 9/12/2006 12:54:44 PM
Author: decodelighted
Ya know ... i'm just guilty all the way around

. As a GUEST I'm a total registry-shunner! I started my own tradition of giving quilts as wedding gifts & when they were well-received, even ADORED, a few times ... I stuck with it.

Being a BRIDE, makes me reconsider my M.O. a bit ... if EVERYONE gave us a quilt, we'd have calico squares poking out our windows & be sleeping in our garage!

but at least you'd be WARM.

 

[widget]

Date: 9/12/2006 12:52:22 PM
Author: Mara

and i''m sure this will open a whole new can of worms, but what is wrong with the 5 year old''s mom registering her at the toystore?

Actually...I really could see the advantage of registering at a toystore....we live in a small town, with ONE toystore. I''m sure this averted many duplications at her birthday party.

What bothered me about it was that my granddaughter helped compiling the list...hmmmm..

widget

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 9/12/2006 12:04:40 AM
Author: diamondfan

I really cannot comprehend how it mattered to NYC''s cousin that it WAS a gift she asked for, but was not from the STORE she went to. Wedgewood is the same from where ever, and though it is nice if it all comes from one store so you can return extra stuff,

I can think of only one logical reason that buying from the specified store is important.

It could be they want something ELSE from that same store, but perhaps it''s too expensive to list on registry, etc. A way around that is to register for other things at that store with the intent to return them all and apply the credit toward the thing they really want......and to score the often applied registry discount to that desired item to boot.

That''s the only thing that comes to mind.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 9/12/2006 8:03:36 AM
Author: AmandaPanda
Not to hijack but...

Does anyone think it''s bad NOT to have a registry? There is honestly nothing that I need and if I register for stuff it will be that I will have to throw out what I already have.

No, I don''t think it''s bad not to have a registry.

I married later in life, so it would be an understatement to say that I didn''t really need more mixing bowls.

If people asked us, we suggested gift cards to Home Depot or gift certificates to our photographer. Since our wedding was intimates only, most of them asked, and most of them did that or gave us cash.

However, for those who gave us gifts, we wrote really nice thank you notes.

 

[Blenheim]

Date: 9/12/2006 1:34:33 PM
Author: aljdewey

Date: 9/12/2006 12:04:40 AM

Author: diamondfan


I really cannot comprehend how it mattered to NYC''s cousin that it WAS a gift she asked for, but was not from the STORE she went to. Wedgewood is the same from where ever, and though it is nice if it all comes from one store so you can return extra stuff,

I can think of only one logical reason that buying from the specified store is important.


It could be they want something ELSE from that same store, but perhaps it''s too expensive to list on registry, etc. A way around that is to register for other things at that store with the intent to return them all and apply the credit toward the thing they really want......and to score the often applied registry discount to that desired item to boot.


That''s the only thing that comes to mind.

On another website (Etiquette Hell), I read about a bride who flipped out on a guest at her bridal shower for buying an item listed on her registry at a different store where she had found it on sale. The reason the bride was upset? She registered for things that she didn''t like but that were expensive, figuring that if someone got her (say) a place setting on the registry then she could exchange it for the place setting she liked ($20 cheaper) and pocket the difference. And she told the guest this. It eventually got back to her fiance, who was appalled at the bride''s greed and her treatment of his family and broke off the engagement.


AmandaPanda -- I''ve read that a lack of a registry is usually taken as a hint that the couple wants cash, but that you should be aware that some guests will want to give a physical gift.

Deco -- I wanna crash your wedding too!

So, looking at my baker''s website, she appears to offer "Lemon butter cake with lemon curd and lemon buttercream" wedding cakes. Think that''s close enough to lemon pie to serve at my wedding?

 

[codex57]

Date: 9/12/2006 8:03:36 AM
Author: AmandaPanda
Not to hijack but...


Does anyone think it's bad NOT to have a registry? There is honestly nothing that I need and if I register for stuff it will be that I will have to throw out what I already have.

Not bad. Lots of folks marry later in life and don't need the clutter. Also, lots of cultures aren't used to giving physical gifts (especially the Asian cultures).

I didn't have a registry. Most people gave money cuz that's what we do at weddings. Some gave gifts. We didn't mind the gifts. Except for one.

It was an obviously old box (yellow with age; I'm guessing 20 years old or so based on the condition and writing on the box as well as the item itself). Furthermore, it was USED! Or at least previously opened because it had been retaped shut.

I draw the line there. A card would have been sufficient. If they didn't want to show up empty handed, then an unopened recycled gift they didn't want is ok. At least there, I'd just assume our tastes differed. Giving someone an ancient box of some crap you previously opened and decided you didn't want crosses the line tho.

 

[njc]

Date: 9/12/2006 1:34:33 PM
Author: aljdewey

I can think of only one logical reason that buying from the specified store is important.

It could be they want something ELSE from that same store, but perhaps it''s too expensive to list on registry, etc. A way around that is to register for other things at that store with the intent to return them all and apply the credit toward the thing they really want......and to score the often applied registry discount to that desired item to boot.

That''s the only thing that comes to mind.

That is what I have been thinking and mentioned in my second post. The items on her registry are the same on both lists, but not the same brands. Example: Cuisine Art Blender on one and a Kitchen Blender on the other. So what is she going to do with 2 blenders?

Galateia - Your soaps sound lovely. I''ve always enjoyed making presents vs. buying them and, like you, have had to make them because there was no money to buy things. The Christmas after I graduated college, I had a job as a grocery clerk trying to make ends meet. Wine glass charms were all the rage, but at $20-40 a pop couldnt swing em. So I made my own with charms to match peoples hobbies/interests.

Deco - Your quilts sound nice too.